Ignition of a Liquid Hydrocarbon Containing Nano-Sized Aluminum using an Aerosol Shock Tube
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abstract
An experimental approach has been taken to investigate nanoparticle additives in a liquid fuel using an aerosol shock tube. Aluminum nanoparticles have shown the potential to increase combustion efficiencies due to their high energy densities. Challenges exist, however, with nanoparticle suspension in liquid fuels. Nanoparticles have a tendency to agglomerate and thus prevent ignition. This study looked at the effect of aluminum nanoparticle additives to toluene. An aerosol shock tube approach was used to evaluate the combustion of a baseline toluene mixture and a toluene/Al nanoparticle mixture with 95% dilution in argon. An aerosol fuel injection method was used to ensure injection of the nanoparticle-doped fuel into the shock tube. The combustion of both the toluene and toluene/Al nanoparticles was determined over the temperature range of 1404 - 1790 K and a pressure around 1.9 atm behind the reflected shock wave. To determine the influence of aluminum nanoparticle additives, the ignition delay times were studied and the results from these experiments are reported. In general, the ignition delay times for temperatures below about 1700 K were not affected by the Al additives, but at higher temperatures the ignition delay times appears to be shorter than for neat toluene. 2013 by the authors.
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51st AIAA Aerospace Sciences Meeting including the New Horizons Forum and Aerospace Exposition
